


A Game Called Hearts

by Reyanth



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Cheating, M/M, Matchmaking, Open Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-19 16:38:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9450575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyanth/pseuds/Reyanth
Summary: Erza is determined to ensure that Natsu and Gray become the dream couple she has always wanted and she will stop at nothing to make that happen—even if it means setting Jellal up with Freed. Gray has other ideas, however, and Freed is rather taken with them.





	1. Joker

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been rattling around in my skull for months and it’s finally taken form! Huzzah! It’s going to be as zany and unsophisticated as the beautifully random Fairy Tail we all know and love so I’m leaving my snobby muses at the door and taking a zanax to chill out that creative pride I tend to take in my writing. Let’s just have fun!
> 
> Pairings may come and go but I want to play with a few pairings I've had my eye on, particularly Freed and Gray. This was originally supposed to be a Freed/Jellal scenario but right from the start it developed a life of its own and "Greed" was just too delicious to pass up. Who knows what will happen? Let's just enjoy the ride.

Chiseled abs glistened in a ray of light, teasingly masked behind a sheet of ice then visible in full glory as the ice wizard sprung away from his frost-covered opponent. He was too slow, however, and the frost was long melted before a burning fist made an imprint in his gut and sent him flying.

Freed winced but he made no move to put an end to the battle, instead maintaining his distance and unimpeded view from the second floor balcony. When Gray landed flat on his back on a table, his imagination got a little carried away with suggestions of all sorts of things he’d like to do if he had dark, sexy Gray on his back…

Not that Natsu was any less muscular and attractive—he just had a certain childishness to him that didn’t appeal. Gray, on the other hand, was well built, finely muscled, and somewhat more aware of his own sex appeal. Doubtless, he’d figured it out after wandering around town half naked and receiving half a dozen proposals the moment he hit puberty.

Sighing, Freed completely forgot to pay attention to the fight and Gray’s retaliation, followed by a mean roundhouse kick that sent the boy flying, only became relevant when he realized Gray was flying directly at him. Those two brats made the whole vicinity a battlefield!

Hopping the banister, Freed met the human missile in midair and took the majority of the impact as they both plunged through a flimsy wooden chair. He lost his breath for a time and his vision swam as ripples of pain spread from his bruised backside up his hips and down his legs.

It wasn’t all bad, though. He was acutely aware of the contraction and relaxation of rough abs against his arm as Gray also struggled to regain his breath.

“Thanks, Freed!” Gray shouted once he was capable, already trying to leap up and get back at Natsu.

Freed wasn’t about to allow that just yet. He knew he had to let go of the heavenly body restrained against him, and soon, but surely a little procrastination couldn’t hurt. He moved his lips to Gray’s ear, shifting his hips to draw the boy’s attention to a tactile display of his affection that would remain between the two of them.

“Don’t overdo it,” he muttered—fully aware of how that particular tone of voice tended to affect most people.

Gray was clearly not immune. He shuddered ever-so-slightly in Freed’s embrace—the relaxation in his posture an indication that it was a pleasant sort of shudder—and slowly turned to get a read on Freed’s expression.

With a wink, Freed released him with a sliding motion that felt up every delicious detail of those gloriously compact muscles. “Have at,” he encouraged.

Had Natsu not come flying impatiently at his opponent in that moment, the intended nuance might have brought a blush to Gray’s cheeks. Instead, Freed lay flat to duck the range of the attack and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He hoped Laxus would return soon. His hormones were starting to play havoc.

Not that he couldn’t have Gray in a moment if he set things up right… He just didn’t have a death wish. Erza… Shuddering, Freed mourned the passing of his brief erection. Erza was fascinated with the concept of bringing Natsu and Gray together and whoever got in the way would meet the many, many ends of Titania’s many, many blades. The boys were so scared of her, they tried to play buddy-buddy when she was around, giving her more hope than she had any right to that there was a chance for their vastly improbably love.

There were other sights to appreciate around Fairy Tail, but all were equally dangerous or troubled. Just to drive the point home, Loki taunted Freed with his exemplary good looks by seating himself quite comfortably atop the prone wizard. He grinned down with amused arrogance.

“You should know better than to get involved with those two,” he scolded.

Of course, straight as a sword, Loki wouldn’t even consider the double entendre to those words, nor the blow to Freed’s lust as being the reason he was still lying despondently where he had fallen. The feisty spirit was girl-mad; a fact that often drove Freed to distraction.

In fact, after a dangerous pass at Gildarts gone wrong, Freed had secretly tested every member of the guild for their sexuality by casting runes allowing only the straight members to pass. Too many for his tastes, to be honest. Some had proved rather interesting, though. Erza had been one of those slowed and brought to a halt before dragging her feet over the threshold, indicating that she was only partially bound by the restrictions. Curiously, Mystogan had been another, but that was a chance lost to Freed now as the man now known to be a devastatingly handsome prince had returned to his own world. Mira-Jane, on the other hand, had been brought to a dead stop, quickly realized that she was trapped by Freed’s runes, and pretended to have changed her mind about leaving. Surely she couldn’t know the specifics of that particular spell but she had been suspicious of him ever since.

Basically, Freed had little choice among the guild, but he didn’t mind all that much. Laxus was a handful for anyone and more than a satisfactory lover… except when he was off on his lonesome leaving Freed to fend for himself.

Loki lent him a hand in getting up and even kindly helped to brush off some of the debris, causing Freed to be grateful he’d lost the evidence of his interest and willing it not to come back too soon. He was blushing by the time he extricated himself from the fray and decided to head somewhere quieter… and private. He could still appreciate the memory of Gray’s body cradled against him…

*

“Ohhh?” muttered Erza, watching a pink-faced Freed slip out the door. The on and off relationship between Freed and Laxus was no secret to the bulk of the guild—it was, in fact, a ray of light for Erza on any given day. However, she pitied Freed for the inordinate amount of time he spent alone, given Laxus’ propensity for demonstrating his lone wolf mentality.

She’d given the situation far more thought than she ought to have, considering that it was none of her business, and she had come up with a solution—unasked for and unanticipated. Perhaps it was time to set the wheels in motion.

After all, it would do Freed no good to have his heart broken trying to come between the perfect couple that was Gray and Natsu. Erza knew how they really felt about each other, even if no-one else saw or believed it.

Freed would only find himself up against a solid wall.

*

A dull thud sounded as Freed tripped over a foot that tangled with his own and his back hit the wall. In moments, his clothes were disheveled and displaced, his skin taunted by cold hands contrasting the fever of sheer arousal. He cried out as a bruising bite to his neck turned into a grazing of teeth that snapped together, followed by a soothing of lips.

“Gray, cool it, will you? Before I lose it, right here,” he warned, moaning as those cold fingers stroked and pinched his nipples.

“That’s exactly what I want you to do,” Gray crooned, grinding against him and licking his jaw.

“Don’t be absurd-”

“Do you have any idea how hard I was last night after the stunt you pulled yesterday?”

Through his pants, Gray’s skin wasn’t quite so cold and his rubbing, fondling touch drove Freed to frustration. He couldn’t help visualizing a naked Gray, beating his fist frantically and arching up in ecstasy as he came, thinking about Freed’s hard-on poking into his back hours before.

“How could you just disappear, after that? I looked everywhere for you!”

As Gray’s arms came up about his neck, it was the hardness in his tight pants that took over, rubbing up against Freed’s erection, the material sliding between them both elevating and restricting the flow of friction.

“Erza,” Freed choked, willing Gray to understand. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave Gray hanging—in fact, he wanted nothing more than to slam Gray face down on a mattress and go to town, but… Erza.

“Coward,” Gray growled, leaving Freed no room to argue as he crushed their lips together almost as hungrily as the humping grind of their groins.

Bereft of Laxus for too long, teased too often by Gray’s spectacular body, and overwhelmed by the rush of sensation assaulting all of his senses, Freed moaned desperately into Gray’s mouth as he came hard and fast.

When his orgasm hit, Gray pulled out of the kiss, watching his face. The ice wizard continued to stare at him as he sagged against the wall with a slight shudder, still thoroughly overheated with sweat beading under his bangs and between his thighs.

He stared back helplessly at Gray, mildly embarrassed at his pitiful lack of longevity but mostly just baffled and hopeful. Had his fear of Erza just been an excuse? Suddenly it didn’t seem so impossible to make Gray his.

But where would that leave Laxus?

Angling his head and moving in so close that their lips brushed as he spoke, Gray proved himself as formidable as Freed had ever imagined.

“I’m not your toy,” he breathed, slipping his hand inside Freed’s soiled pants. Stepping back, he raised his hand to his lips and licked away the seed lining the tips of his fingers. “I don’t care what Erza or Laxus, or anyone else thinks—just make up your mind.”

Gray made to leave and, shocked, Freed reached after him. “What about y-”

“Unlike you, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself without moping around like a lost puppy,” Gray taunted over his shoulder. However, he took stock for a moment, his eyes sweeping up and down Freed’s body in a way that felt utterly, deliciously violating. “Besides, I think I have enough here to keep me going for a while.”

Just like that, he was out the door, leaving Freed alone in the entranceway to his room. Sliding down the wall, Freed ran a trembling hand through his hair. Just what had he unleashed?

*

Usually, one might cool off, putting some time and distance between oneself and the object of one’s desires. With the memory of Freed’s enraptured expression fresh in his mind, Gray had no such luck. He barely made it to the safety of closed doors before he fell prey to the urge to palm himself, rocking needily into his grasping hand.

What the hell was wrong with him? Pretending he wasn’t so afraid of Erza that he would piss his pants if she caught him even looking at someone other than Natsu—or Juvia, who seemed exempt from Erza’s scrutiny for some reason. Pretending his guts didn’t twist with envy every time Laxus came home and wrapped Freed up in his selfish little world before taking off again. Pretending he hadn’t been utterly convinced of rejection until Freed’s little stunt the previous day. He was way out of his depth.

It was so damn worth it, though. Whenever Freed touched him, he felt completely buzzed, like he could take on any of those S Class clowns.

He’d only become aware of his inclination when they had been directed to pair up against Angel and her creepy cherubs. They weren’t used to working together but they made a better team than he could have guessed. Ever since, he’d been keenly aware of Freed’s presence, all the time—and the bond Freed shared with Laxus that he would never have hoped to compete with.

And then Freed had gone and given him hope—feeling him up, nudging him with a convincingly full erection, and murmuring erotically into his ear. Freed wanted him, and he was all too willing.

So Gray had gone all out in flattening Natsu so he could escape in the confusion and find the man who he was sure was waiting just out of sight to see where things might lead. He searched and searched, and Freed was nowhere to be found. Eventually, Gray realized he had run.

What did not leave Gray was the need to expel the memory of Freed’s touch and the lingering resonation of that voice along the shell of his ear, the breath down his neck, the hardness at his back… He’d masturbated twice before he slept and then been plagued by a very proactive dream which played out similar to the way things had gone down earlier—only it ended in hot, messy sex because Freed wasn’t looking at or thinking about anyone but Gray in that dream.

So there it was. Gray had just thrown down the gauntlet against two of Fairy Tail’s most terrifying wizards… but the only one who could choose to pick it up or let it lie forgotten and trampled in the dirt was Freed. Gray hoped he took it up. He wanted to see that expression on Freed’s surprisingly expressive face again. He wanted to feel that body shudder against his own again. He wanted Freed to look at him with that lost, overwhelmed, desperate desire again.

More importantly, he wanted Freed to choose him—not over Laxus or in spite of Erza… just choose him. That was all.

*

Laying her head down on a shoulder that was just the right height and padded perfectly for her comfort, Erza sighed contentedly into the night. “I missed you.”

“That goes without saying,” Jellal agreed, touching her cheek and leaning back to put enough distance between them for a gentle kiss. “So tell me. What are you plotting?”

“I knew I could count on you,” Erza enthused, grinning as she traced the line of his jaw.

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” Jellal responded, intrigued none-the-less.

“The choice is yours, of course… but I think you’ll like what I have in mind.”

“Which is?”

“His name is Freed.”

“Freed…” Erza was asking him to seduce Freed, the arrogant but good-looking runic wizard among the upper echelons of Fairy Tail. “Isn’t he with Laxus?”

“That’s precisely the problem,” Erza complained, and Jellal settled in for a rant that he knew would be as adorable as it was exasperating. “Laxus is never around. Whenever Freed’s not working he always looks so lonely. I can’t stand to see it. Lately, he’s had his eye on Gray-”

“For shame!”

“But, of course, Gray is too smitten with Natsu even to notice!”

“I’ll bet.”

“He needs a distraction. Something to take his mind off of Laxus and keep him from getting hurt by rejection. Would you consider it, Jellal? For me?”

“Not for Freed?”

“For him, too,” Erza said softly, the light in her eyes so kind and earnest that Jellal couldn’t even think of a reason he might want to refuse.

Freed was rather his type, anyway, in the same way that Erza was his perfect match. If it would make Erza happy to make Freed happy, then he would test the waters and see if his powers of distraction were enough to avert a disaster of Titania proportions.

There was just one hitch.

“Not everyone at Fairy Tail is so enthusiastic about my freedom as you are.”

“Don’t be silly, Mystogan. Freed would be thrilled that you came back to visit him!”

Chuckling, Jellal had to hand it to her. Craftiness was one of Erza’s best concealed weapons.


	2. Two of Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: I have a huge girl-crush on Erza. As BL as this fic is and always will be... do expect a little Erza fan service.
> 
> In the meantime, Jellal is rather enthusiastic to take up the mission he has been handed.

A tickling of lips at his ear. A whisper of breath on his throat. Laxus.

Moaning with the need that uncoiled in him as he awoke, Freed stretched his arms around that heavenly body. Running his hands over naked muscles, he searched out the rough skin of the massive scars that he loved to caress. They were illusive, and he was drawn even further from sleep, cracking his eyes open and trying to blink the dust from them.

The first thing he noticed was cobalt blue. The next, a much thinner shape than he had anticipated. With the visual confirmation, he was suddenly aware that the body in his arms no more belonged to Laxus than the dangling blue hair of the man kissing his chest.

It was so surreal, Freed didn't know how to react. Logic insisted he should be shocked, but he was too comfortable and intrigued to pay it much heed. Logic also prodded that he should free himself and retaliate. Firstly, because he was already spoken for—by Laxus—and already tied up in a complicated emotional and sexual upheaval—on account of Gray. Secondly, because the man so casually molesting him and tonguing his belly button was a dangerous escaped criminal and known dark wizard.

“I don't suppose you have any intention of explaining yourself? Jellal?”

“I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I told you I was Mystogan,” Jellal murmured, pausing in the midst of running his tongue along a crease between lower abdomen and thigh.

“Not likely,” Freed responded, a little off-put by how calm he was on the surface while confusion roiled beneath.

“Mmm. It was a good idea but I could have told her it wouldn’t work.”

“Her?”

“Who do you think?”

Groaning, Freed went limp, staring up at the ceiling past a hand haphazardly thrown across his face. “Is this about Gray?”

Sliding up his body, Jellal came between Freed and the ceiling, looming rather beautifully overhead. “Do you always sleep naked?” he asked, dodging the question simply to be obtuse.

“Why not? Only Laxus can get… in… h-… How the hell did you get past my runes?” At last, Freed put his finger on the most surreal point in this situation. The simple fact that Jellal was even there to begin with. His eyes widened and he finally tried to jostle Jellal off of him but the dark wizard only chuckled and leisurely pinned him down. 

“Fight fire with fire,” he hummed. “Counter runes… with runes. Like so.”

Tracing a rune onto Freed’s left palm, Jellal pinned it irrevocably to the bed with magic. Instantly recognizing the danger, Freed reached to cast a rune of his own to counter the spell but Jellal anticipated the move, catching Freed’s right thumb between his teeth and applying a threatening pressure.

Freed wavered. Jellal noted it.

The next thing Freed knew, both of his palms were nailed with runes and his best weapons were immobilized. His heart raced and his mind flipped through a vast spectrum of scenarios, trying to predict which one Jellal intended to play out.

Two, in particular, stood out. The first was a scenario in which the evil monster Jellal ruthlessly took advantage of him. The second was one in which Erza’s old friend was not the fiend he had been made out to be, was in fact in contact with Erza, and intended to woo Freed with seductive kink—on behalf of Erza who wanted to keep Freed away from Gray for her own depraved purposes.

The second was the most desirable, by far, which was saying a lot—and yet, dwelling on the fearful possibility of the first had confusing effects on Freed’s libido. If he didn’t know better, he might have thought the idea of being used at Jellal’s discretion turned him on. The fact was, it did. However, he did know better, because if that scenario were to be true it would almost certainly end in Freed’s debilitation or death, and neither was an outcome he had any taste for.

“I find myself in a bit of a dilemma,” Jellal hummed, gazing down at Freed as if they were sitting across from each other on a wide bench in a reputable inn. Wariness caused Freed to refrain from commenting on how unlikely he found that statement so Jellal eventually explained himself without prompting. “I have this girlfriend who is extremely bossy and borders on dangerous when things don’t go her way. I happen to know that her latest plan is completely pointless but if I can’t at least prove I tried, she’ll blame it on me when things go the way they inevitably will—and I’d hate to spend the limited time I have with her getting beaten and berated when she could be rewarding me instead.”

Throughout this little speech, Freed’s mental processes began to slow so that his blinking speed lagged drastically. His brows drew together, creasing his otherwise flawlessly smooth skin. 

“Putting aside the questionable fact that Erza would ever date you after everything you’ve done… Are you telling me your own girlfriend put you up to this?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny the identity of the volatile woman to whom I am attached.”

“She sent her own boyfriend to seduce me just so… What? I’d keep my hands off of Gray?”

The softness that crept into Jellal’s expression was so mushy and fond it was almost sickening. “The person in question has a heart the size of the celestial spirit world and it appears your recent actions made apparent a certain loneliness, so she enlisted my help in consolation.” The deadpan tone and serious expression finally gave way to a creepy little smile. “And, yes, she also seems to think you’re a threat to her fantasies of ice and fire colliding in an epic sexual eruption.”

“Oh… Ew… Too much information.”

Jellal raised an eyebrow. “I’d have though you would appreciate the image.”

“Gray and Natsu, yes! But I always imagined Erza’s motives to be more… romantic. Not…”

“As twisted and depraved as yours?”

As if Freed would dignify that with an answer. “What exactly do you expect to happen here?” he challenged, now that he was more confident of Jellal’s motives.

In answer, Jellal made to kiss him. It was so sudden a change of pace that Freed’s breath caught and his body flushed instantly but he turned his face aside at the last second.

“Come now, don’t be so difficult.” Jellal crooned, nuzzling his cheek and the surprisingly sensitive skin of his hairline. A sliver of moisture and a rough, malleable caress induced a shiver as Freed realized Jellal was licking him there. “What do you have to lose?”

Gray.

The instant that name reared in answer to Jellal’s question, Freed understood at last that he had already made the choice Gray required of him. He wasn’t afraid of losing Laxus. Laxus would come and go as he pleased and he wouldn’t give a damn if Freed was faithful or if he slept with every willing body in the guild. The only thing Freed had to lose in all of this… was Gray.

A low chuckle sounded warmly in Jellal’s throat, reminding him of the reality that neither Gray nor Laxus were who he had to deal with right now. All at once, he began frantically searching for an answer to the runes holding him captive. He needed to get rid of Jellal and share his answer with the person who most needed to hear it.

“I had an inkling you might say that.”

Confusion halted Freed's consideration of whether or not he could accurately draw the runes he needed with his toes. “I didn’t say anything!” he blurted out, predictably.

Jellal stroked his cheek, once again smiling that soft, mushy smile that was beginning to become a cue for anxious discomfort. “You wouldn’t risk that woman’s wrath on a whim or in the name of lust,” Jellal presumed, correctly. “You care for him. That’s commendable.”

Hearing those words spoken by someone else only amplified the need to see Gray as soon as possible. If Jellal understood, then perhaps Freed could appeal to his conscience. “Then let me go! I-”

“Patience,” spoke Jellal flatly. “I have a promise to keep, so try to accept this parting gift with grace.”

Too late, Freed learned that Jellal had been surreptitiously casting runes of binding all over his body as they bandied words. He couldn’t kick, roll, or cover himself in any way. He was completely exposed and at Jellal’s mercy—and humiliatingly hard for it despite his best intentions towards Gray. Just because he had become aware of an emotional inclination didn’t change his genetic makeup and his predisposition towards all things attractive and erotic—and Jellal was both.

“I’ll—I’ll pretend,” he gasped, knowing it was only a matter of time before his will to object ran dry. “I’ll-”

“You can pretend all you like. I won’t lie to the woman I love.”

“Damn it, Jellal! This is… insane… You filthy bastard!” The last resounded as Freed’s erection was engulfed in wet heat. His body tried to jerk in reaction to the luxury but he was too thoroughly bound.

It had never occurred to him to use runes this way. He had thought himself the best runic wizard there was but all at once he realized how naive he was. Jellal had gained a surpassing mastery over magic circles—and what was the foundations of magic circles if not runes? No wonder he could counter Freed’s spells and use runic devices in new and inventive ways.

A tiny process in the back of Freed’s mind stored the possibilities of this manner of application away for further exploration—he wouldn’t mind having Laxus at his complete disposal—however, the rest of him was too busy trying to understand the flood of sensory information buzzing through his body.

The fact was, he in exquisite agony. Scored with binding runes as he was, there was no way to control the encompassing sensation of Jellal’s magical mouth on his cock. He was awash in pleasure and rapidly being swept downriver. 

Who would have thought Jellal had a throat like a magician’s hat? Every inch of Freed’s length was accounted for with interest. Lips that had a power of their own and a tongue that defied logic were the final conspirators in his undoing. Desperately, he resorted to a string of cussing he would usually deplore as uncouth. He was running out of inventive new phrases as the first little waves of a powerful climax began lapping at his core.

“Cock…sucking… son of-oh shit! Oh fuck me! Fuck! Saints! Ahhh!”

Unable to flail, shudder, or even tense his restricted muscles to relieve some measure of the incredible pressure, Freed blacked out in order to cope with the onslaught of sensation. 

When he came to, the first thing he was aware of was that he could move. The next was that he hurt all over from straining fruitlessly against immovable spells. Finally, he became aware that there was no sign of Jellal at all.

For one brief moment, he considered leaping out of bed to find Gray. For an even briefer second, he thought about notifying someone of Jellal’s trespassing. Then, he decided he would rather see Gray because Erza was (probably) less likely to slaughter him for that than for endangering her boyfriend… but not until after he took a little nap to slough off some of the lethargy seeping into his weary muscles.

*

Jellal’s eyebrow twitched once, twice, thrice. Even for Erza, this was… pretty normal, actually.

Intending to report to his love on how he had done his absolute best to fulfill her wishes, explain that she might have to revise her expectations for the sakes of those she cared about, take what kinky punishment she cared to dish out, and then get well laid to ease off his own un-slaked lust, Jellal had slipped discreetly into Erza’s room. He should have known better than to think he could catch her unawares but he hadn’t expected her to be waiting for him… and so well prepared.

The little red lightening antennae her hair had been worked into were a nice touch. The red coat she wore over her naked body was designed in skimpy parody. Her breasts nearly burst from lapels cut much lower than the original and there were slits from the waist down to accommodate her rounded figure and show off her acclaimed killer thighs.

Why on earth she was in possession of such a cosplay item was beyond Jellal—unless, of course, it was designed for this very scenario. Jellal loved Erza—deeply. He also loved men. There was nothing hotter than Erza cosplaying a man—especially an attractive man like Freed with a voice to melt for who had just cum screaming at him with all the deranged madness of the utterly impassioned.

Half an hour later, Erza’s hair was such a mess the lightning bolts were long absorbed into a tangled nest and her clothes were in tatters around them as she lay against Jellal’s chest, humming contentedly. 

“I take it you didn’t get very far with Freed,” she said, a little too casually.

Jellal blushed at the reference to his frantic desire. He stroked Erza’s hair and wondered how to break the news.

“You’re wrong,” he said.

“Oh-ho? I doubt that,” Erza argued. “That was not the performance of a man recently-”

“Not that. About Freed. And Gray. You’re wrong.”

“Continue.”

“Just give them a chance. If things don’t work out, you can go back to plan A. If they do… you have to admit they’d make a spectacular couple.”

Jellal swallowed heavily, willing his gamble to pay off. He could almost feel the speculation circulating through Erza from tip to toes and back again. Finally, she gave another low hum. “You make a good point. What inspired it, exactly?”

“He actually tried to turn me down,” Jellal told her, flattered by her skeptical expression. “You were right about the loneliness—I’ve never seen a man get so hard so fast—but he still put Gray first.”

“How do you know it wasn’t about Laxus?” Erza asked, frowning now.

Gently tracing his fingers over the frown lines, Jellal manually smoothed out her expression, taking a moment to fondly appreciate how her every thought and feeling was earnestly displayed right there on her face.

“I know,” Jellal answered, belatedly. “The shock a man gets when he starts falling in love without warning… I know what that looks like.” 

“I think you’ll have to describe it for me; word for word,” Erza purred.

“I’ll have to set the scene to help you really understand,” Jellal purred back, pleased with himself for having won this round on Freed’s behalf. “See, he was adorably disoriented when he woke up with my tongue on his nipple—he sleeps naked, you know.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to like this story after all.”

“Wait till I get to the part where I used his own beloved runes to bind him to the bed, muscle by muscle. So deliciously receptive!”

“Oh-ho? I always suspected dear Freed was a glutton for punishment.”

“Contrary to all of my expectations, he looked down his naked body at me, raised his eyebrows, and asked rather dryly if I planned to explain myself! Can you imagine? The sheer arrogant confidence! How could I resist carving a little doubt into him? Ah, it was a good look. You wouldn’t believe the shy innocence tucked away in those baby blues and blushing, rosy cheeks…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the one and only het couple I ever ship wholeheartedly. Thank god I can do so while believably having them ship themselves all over the shop. XD. Such adorable weirdos. 
> 
> Meanwhile, just how hard has Freed fallen and what does he plan to do about it?
> 
> Find out next time inspiration strikes.


	3. Three of Hearts

It was quiet down in the archives. It was the kind of place a wizard could go to be alone. It was the kind of place where one could get away with basking in some peace and quiet rather than being pulled into a free-for-all wizard brawl. It was cold, dank, and depressing; just what Gray needed.

Honestly, he didn’t know what he’d expected. Freed had made a pass at him and he’d taken it to heart—and gotten way ahead of himself. His desperation must have been obvious, for all that he tried to hide it. He’d scared Freed off. Otherwise, the runic wizard would have come looking for him by now and put an end to the torment of unresolved sexual tension. Instead, he hadn’t seen Freed for almost 24 hours. Essentially, he’d been stood up.

That was fine. Gray was a big boy. He could deal with a bit of disappointment. He just wished he hadn’t been taunted with hope.

“Oi! There you are! What the hell are you doin’ down in this stuffy old place? People are looking for you, you know!”

“Shut up, Natsu.”

Great. The last person he wanted to see.

“A guy comes all the way down here to do you a favor, and that’s the attitude he gets?” Growling, Natsu advanced fast, making to grab Gray’s collar.

As a reflex, Gray intercepted his hand and twisted it, then cried out as a jet of fire licked his skin. Responding with an uncontrolled puff of frost that formed fractals in the air around them, Gray reined in his temper and stumbled backward. Getting into it with Natsu down here would put Fairy Tail’s precious history in danger.

“You’re an imbecile, you know that!?”

The inevitable fight that always came on the tails of such insults despite Gray’s lack of enthusiasm was at least tight and restrained. Even Natsu knew not to toss fire around down there. Instead, he lashed out with blows that forced Gray to retreat until he hit the end of the row and his naked back came into contact with the cold stone wall.

“I don’t know what the hell your problem is today and I don’t damn well care! You’re gonna get over it and come upstairs or I’ll… I’ll…”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll think of something, damn it! So are you coming, or not?”

“Why should I? I’m not wanted or needed. Nobody up there would miss me-”

“I missed you!”

Even Natsu went slack with shock at that admission. His arms, crossed over Gray’s chest and pressing him into the wall, went slack. He blinked and then shook his head.

“Don’t tell me Erza’s finally gotten to you,” Gray murmured, wary of the dawning knowledge in Natsu’s eyes.

“What are you talking about?” the dragon slayer asked, his tone slightly distracted.

“You know, her crazy idea that we actually have the hots for each other; like, she expects us to be throwing punches one second and then making out the next. You know. That crazy theory.”

“I really hate you.”

“Thank god, cause I hate you, too.”

If anyone had told Gray that he would be kissed in the next heartbeat, he would have laughed and offered to spring for some counseling. Even so, that was exactly what happened, and perhaps most perplexing was that he let it.

Natsu was raw, emotional, and inexperienced. His kiss should have been terrible—except that it wasn’t, not because of any skill to speak of, but purely because Gray’s body appeared to be in favor.

He was just horny. All that runaround with Freed. He was just frustrated. Erza must be getting to him, too. There was certainly no way he was actually into the idea of getting with Natsu. Not a single chance.

“Erza’s totally wrong,” he wheezed, when Natsu let up. “It’s absurd to think I’d ever want you.”

On some level, he knew he spoke the truth. It was absurd. It was also a purely physical reaction. Nothing about Natsu’s personality appealed to him in the least. He didn’t even look at Natsu and see something he liked. It was just… an odd kind of physical chemistry, probably from all the time they’d spent in contact through exchanged blows over the years.

So why was he sucking so eagerly on Natsu’s tongue and sliding his hands over all those rippling side and back muscles that felt so good to the touch? Chemistry. Fire and ice reluctantly combined to find a middle ground where they could co-exist in dubious harmony.

Chemistry, desperation, and maybe a little bit of brainwashing were all in cahoots to destroy Gray’s one shot at the man he wanted, because after all the time Gray had spent moping down in the archives, Freed finally decided to search for him, having waited upstairs for two hours. Two minutes of insanity spent lip-locked and grappling with his worst enemy out of two whole hours and Freed just had to show up right then.

“Well. This is a surprise.”

With a groan, Gray shoved Natsu off of him and stared hopelessly up at Freed at the end of the row.

“Oh crap! I forgot to tell you Freed was looking for you!”

Instantly overwhelmed with a triple wave a fury, despair, and humiliation, Gray shut them both out. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought down the tundra that threatened to form in his place. When he finally unleashed the crushing tension in his fists, he could no longer hear Natsu’s grating voice, or any voice at all. Slowly, he opened his eyes, expecting to find himself alone. He wasn’t.

“I thought you-”

“So you decided to drown your sorrows? …With Natsu?”

There was such skepticism and amusement in Freed’s tone that Gray was torn between relief and indignation. He wanted to lash out but he was too hopeful of the fact that Freed was still standing before him and didn’t seem the slightest bit put off by what he had just witnessed.

“That… was never meant to happen.” Sagging, Gray rubbed his hand over his eyes, trying to erase their recent viewing history. “I was just…” Needy. Desperate. Frustrated. “Selfish.”

“To think, he’s finally figure out what he wants out of you and he’s a whole day too late.” Gray barely felt the cold of the underground room that had sunk into his bones, but that didn’t mean the warmth of a body layered over his own was any less pleasant. With one arm braced above them both, Freed loomed over him, pinning him and warming him. “I’d feel sorry for Natsu…” he said, “But I’m selfish, too.”

For the second time in minutes, Gray was swept into a kiss but this time it was refined and delicious. A little part of him was shocked and disgusted to note that he looked back on Natsu’s awkward, passionate kiss with fondness but he was well aware of the chemistry here, too. It was a different kind of chemistry altogether; no clashing elements or battling for dominance. Freed’s tongue moved with grace, sliding over just the right buds at just the right moment to build up a kind of charge in Gray that seemed to buzz in his muscles.

This wasn’t the Freed he’d held up against a wall and molested. This Freed was in control… and decisive. This Freed had _him_ pinned, and this Freed wasn’t letting him gain the upper hand.

As Freed’s lips and tongue worshiped his throat, Gray felt feverishly warm. He reached up to caress soft, green hair and his fingers caught and tangled, twitching of their own accord.

“Aren’t… you…?”

Gray found it difficult to finish a thought with Freed’s tongue swiping and teasing his nipple, jostling it back and forth before his lips closed around it and he sucked hard, still playing with his tongue.

“Aren’t I?” he asked, switching his attention to the opposite nipple.

“Pissed off?” Gray gasped. “About Natsu?”

There had to be a subtler way to put that question but damned if he could think in sentences exceeding two words right now.

Straightening, Freed turned a stern look upon him. He silently reached down between their bodies and slid his hand into Gray’s shorts, unabashedly palming and squeezing the eager hardness there-within.

*

To think Freed had turned down what he suspected would have been a first-class lay. As in, premium. Platinum. The best. To think he was so wrapped up in the idea of Gray’s moral code that he thought he was all the ice wizard could see or think about. To think he even briefly considered the possibility that he just might not choose Laxus if it came down to an ultimatum.

He wasn’t pissed off. He wasn’t angry, or mad, or jealous—ok, maybe a little jealous, though more surprised than anything else. What he really was, though, was refreshed.

Gray wanted him, and he wanted Gray. Why did it have to be any more complicated than that? Besides, now he had the final key—the piece of the puzzle that let the rest slide into place.

Natsu was bizarrely in love with Gray. Gray was just as bizarrely open to it, whether he cared to admit that to himself or not. It was exactly what Erza wanted and as long as she got what she wanted, Freed could have what he wanted, too. It was a win for all.

Well, except maybe Juvia. If Gray would even make out with his arch enemy before her, she was well and truly doomed to heartbreak.

*

Gray bit his lip hard, trying to stifle the groan that wanted to rise up out of him and give them away. Freed was driving him mad with a pulsing, squeeze that seemed to have his heart pumping his sync and the blood thumping in his veins.

“Natsu’s family,” murmured Freed as he continued the sweet torture. “What kind of sempai would I be if I coveted you all to myself when someone I care about like a brother is just coming into his feelings?”

“What… are you talking about?” Gray stuttered, trying not to give over completely to the blissfully warm sensation.

“Gray—you told me to make a choice, and that’s what I’m doing. I choose to defy Erza and risk Laxus’ wrath. I choose you. In spite of whatever stands between us—including Natsu or anyone else you find yourself making out with unexpectedly.”

“That’s not a thing… that happens… freq-”

“My point is: If Natsu kisses you, you’re welcome to kiss him back. If Juvia finally cracks your shell enough to get into your pants, then good on her. Just don’t expect me to back off as long as you look at me that way.”

“What way?” Gray asked.

A moment later, he knew he was already doing it. He could feel the affection radiating from him… or was that lust? It was honestly getting very hard to tell the difference.

Skillfully, Freed began to stroke him. Swift, deft motions brought the sensations quickly to a peak and he lost the ability to mute himself. Luckily, Freed’s tongue made for a great sound dampener, absorbing his cry as he came.

Freed held his temporarily boneless form, both supporting him and embracing him. The voice that spoke at his ear might have been arousing if he hadn’t just enjoyed a very nice climax.

“We’ve been making this too complicated. It doesn’t need to be. I’ll tell you all about my interesting morning, and you can tell me about your interesting afternoon, and then we’ll see about plans for tonight. How does that sound?”

“Shady as hell,” Gray mumbled. “The hell did you get up to this morning?”

Freed snorted. “Nothing half as scandalous as Natsu’s tongue down your throat, I assure you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Guess I'd better add another pairing. ><  
> Literally the one pairing I thought I'd never write.  
> Still not sure how or why that happened but it's probably Erza's fault.  
> These things have a way of making themselves necessary to plot, though.  
> So... maybe a plot will rear its ugly head?  
> Best beware. I haven't seen any tracks of one so far but I've been wrong before...

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far!


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